Favorite Things...

Rain drops on Roses, and whiskers on kittens...
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens...
Brown paper packages tied up with string...
These are a few of my favorite things...

WHEN THE DOG BITES, WHEN THE BEE STINGS....

(i always feel like that part MUST be sung)

whooa...sorry got carried away in my S.O.M memory lane (thats Sound of Music for all you musical rookies). I love the Sound of Music... that maria...boy does she make me laugh :P (haha i know all you fans got that joke)

In the spirit of Maria with a little bit of Oprah splashed in (if i was a good blogger i would put the link to the SNL Oprah "Favorite Things" parady, buuuut im not, so i didn't.....but you can go youtube it. cause its hilarious) these are a few (10, ok, more than a few) of my FAHHHAVORIITEE THHHHIIINNNGGSSS.....

- wearing a nice dark pair of sunglasses...the kind with pratcically black lenses, for the sole reason that I can stare at ppl and they never know it!

- getting dressed up to go somewhere (even if its just church on Sundays)...I live for LOVE it!

- Snuggling with Colton. part of the reason he still sleeps with us, is because i can't bear to miss out on his adorable little snuggles all night. its the most precious thing alive. I practically kiss his little cheeks each time i roll over.

- a good hair day. I instantly feel amazing when i know my hair came together exactly as i hoped. Oh and extra points if the stars have aligned and my outfit rocks and my makeup came out flawless.... ahhh perfection!

- laughing with Alfie.... the things that come out of homeboys mouth...gets me all the time! And oooh when he really gets going! I end up just laughing at him laughing. (the other day he laughed so hard he cried, and i watched in SHOCK, as i have never seen alfie cry...it was like a sighting of a rare creature...)

- that moment in the holiday season where you instantly remember that same feelings from past childhood holidays....nostalgic fuzzies...

-the crispness of fall weather. Love me some sweaters,scarves, jackets and boots!

-pizza, wings and beer.... HELLO FOOTBALL SEASON! **id just like to take this minute to brag that i am currently tied for first place in my fantasy football league! Woo Hoo!

-finding a good blog. i love stumbling onto a new blog! its like finding a nugget of gold! Extra love if they are a frequent blogger and have oodles and oodles of posts to browse!

-quiet. there is something special when the house is quiet. When Colton is sleeping and Alfie is out and its just me. I can listen to music, paint my nails, dance around the house, clean, in blissfull quiet.

How about you?? in the spirit of the holiday season, what are 10 of your favorite things???

Keepin' it Real

Confession: I SOOO do not have it all together.

I was blog stalking reading Ashley's blog the other day(go visit and give the girl a holla *yeah that’s right I be ghetto* and ooo check out her lovely Etsy boutique too...feel free to buy me something pretty while you're at it), anyways, girlie was keeping it real with her struggles and frustrations and it dawned on me how often we think of friends, acquaintances, Facebook friends and bloggers we stalk as having it all or having it perfect and I know I often forget that we are all HUMAN, no one’s lives are perfect and nobody has it all together (Hello just look at the Kardashians, especially poor Kim, girl be trippin' ---yikes again with the ghettoness)

So I thought today I would "Keep it real" and share some of my not so "finer" moments... ya know, so you don't go thinking I’m Ms. Perfect or anything....

- I am messy... pretty, pretty messy, not dirty, just messy. Like sure "everything has a place" but it doesn't always get there at first kind of messy. But on the flip side it will drive. me. crazy. until I clean
- Making BIG decisions freak. me. out. Like the "makes me cry" kind of freak out. I had mild melt downs for every purchase more expensive than my mattress. I’m that big of a wimp.
- Self righteous Christians make me wanna act un-Christ-Like towards them (maybe I’ll just start singing "Jesus take the wheel" anytime I feel the urge to slap them act out....)
- I go on cleaning binges. I could not clean for a while then BAM I will clean the house from top to bottom... usually it’s after an argument (like my girl Emily) or before a big party and usually that will hold me for a while
- I argue with Alfie. He is not perfect, I am not perfect, so bring on the occasional arguments. The important part is that we make up and forgive eachother.
- I am a stresser/worrier. I stress for myself, for Alfie, for Colton, for the random person down the block. It’s a daily bad habit I work to break all the time!
- I go back and forth on loving/hating being a working mom (and all the guilt that comes with it) Some days I can't drop off Colton fast enough, other days it’s tough to walk out the door.
- I am VERY conscious of my weight. Like on any given day I can tell you exactly how much I weigh, today, for example I weigh one hundred and no-way-am-I-putting-that-on-here!... mmmhmm no I do not have a disorder, and no I am not as content with my weight as I should be (thank God i do not have a daughter!! lol)
- We already know I shop at thrift stores since I am so frugal with my clothing
- I am OBSESSED with reality television. I love it...LOVE it. All the drama without being involved...can't get enough.
- I take things far too personally and then dwell on them and read into things FAR too much. "What they didn't try my recipe? OMG they hate me and don't wanna be my friend. I can tell...they don't like me. If they liked me they would have tried it." I’m sure I drive Alfie crazy.
- A messy house makes me feel VERY overwhelmed. *hint hint Alfie* If there is a lot going on and then the house is messy, I will shut down and then freak out (and as we read earlier, I am messy, so you can imagine the freak outs happen a-lot!).
- I hate change with every fiber of my being. i hattttttteeeeee ittttttttt. Might explain why I hold so tightly to things I can control and tend to like things MY way.... which is usually the best way but that’s another post in its self.

So, see, next time you think: "Darn that Kimi, has her stuff together", you can refer to this post and know that no, no I just do a really good fake out :)

Yum Yum... in my Tum Tum

Confession: Planning meals has saves us A. LOT.

One of my favorite things about Pinterest is its abundance of great ideas. My current favorite being the Menu boards (which I have up in the house and which people question me about). I used to scoff at the idea of planning meals. Because come on, I can't pack one outfit per day for a trip, how in the world would I be able to select one meal each day weeks in advance. So we continued to spend willy nilly on food without really stopping to think about it. Then, as I was looking at our budget I saw how much we were literally throwing away by eating out so often and I was shocked. So I started planning our meals. It started off by planning a few days and then shopping for groceries for those few days. Then a few days turned into a week and then every other week and now I think we plan out almost 3 weeks. And the savings is ridiculous. I haven't sat down to figure the exact number but the fact that we now do groceries once every 3 weeks (occasionally a trip or two for eggs or bread) and that that 1 grocery bill is under $100 tells me momma be doing goooood!!

Alrighty, so remember my love for excel?? Well of course I use that to create a Menu/calendar template! I start with my handy dandy calendar (made in excel) broken down by weeks then days. And I start filling in meals that we like. This usually includes of a taco night once a week, a frozen pizza night once a week and leftovers every Thursday (alfie plays pool that night) oh yeah and lots of chicken, we love chicken!

Then I toss in a night of "easy" pasta (which is almost ALWAYS lasagna, I love (meatless) lasagna, extra points if it has spinach but Alf doesn’t like that so... yeah its usually without spinach.) and a few days of "new" recipe favorites from the last month.

Then I hop back on Pinterest and look for NEW recipes. I usually look for things that are easy or look amazing (yeah I totally judge a book by its cover and recipes by their pictures). Or I browse my friends blogs and get some highly recommended stuff.

Once I have 90% of the calendar filled (Remember I leave Thursdays for leftovers oh yeah and Sunday lunch for eating out and of course I figure in a night of something crazy easy, like soup and salad or soup and sandwiches). I figure out what I need to make each dish versus what I have on hand already and create a shopping list.

And surprise surprise!! We actually stick to it! Now we don't always do the exact meal planned for that day, sometimes we switch around based on what we are feeling and what the day was like. And one thing that has certainly surprised me is that the 3 week planning, will often provide PLENTY of meals beyond 3 weeks. Now I do have to say, I eat anything and Alfie is a simple eater (i.e. homeboy could live off of cereal, nachos or frozen pizzas) so the only real constraint is picking things Colton will eat, which luckily again, is very easy (he takes after his momma).

BUT last night we FINALLY tried a meal that was on our menu for the 2 weeks or so and just haven’t had time to make. But in hind sight was SOOO easy and tasty that I wish we hadn't waited this long to make it! It is originally a Pampered Chef recipe with some fancy name and fancy cheeses but I LoMag-itized it for us (oh and renamed it)...

Easy-Peesy-Cheesy Mexican Chicken Bake

1.5lbs of chicken breasts (about 3 ample breasts...lol id guess they were a C cup)
2 (7oz.) cans of salsa verde (its the green stuff in the Mexican aisle - I used Herdez)
1 (2 cup) bag of Colby Jack cheese
1/2 bag of Authentic Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips
A Taco seasoning packet

Ok, so I am ALL about easy. And this recipe is easy and again passed the Alfie test. Another thumbs up. AND I am sure it can be tweaked for ALL sorts of flavors. I bet you could make it enchillada-esque with beans and corn. Use regular salsa and Mexican or taco flavored cheese! But I am getting ahead of myself....

First, finely chop the chicken and sauté on the stove (if you like onions add those in, if not no worries). Sprinkle taco seasoning to taste. (We did minimal since Colton would be eating this.)
Side note: Do this ahead of time!! Had I thought about it, I would have cooked the chicken the night before, so that all I had to do was combine everything and have had an under 10 min meal! We also thought boiling and shredding the chicken would work better, and then sprinkling on the taco flavor OR boiling it in taco broth (i.e. water with the taco seasoning in it). If you try it let me know!

Next, in a microwave safe dish (I used my white corning ware oval baker) put down a good layer of tortilla chips. Break when necessary, but give it a good bed of chips. Then add in half your chicken and then pour half your salsa verde (or 1 can since you use 2) and sprinkle on half your cheese. Repeat your layers (add more chips, then chicken, then salsa and finally top with your cheese).

Ok on to the hard part: put the cover on and put into the microwave for 5 to 7 minutes (I did 6 minutes and it was perfect). THAT'S IT! Crazy how easy this is!! I love it!

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and enjoy! I was pleasantly surprised with this recipe. Since I am NEVER a fan of soggy chips I was very apprehensive that it would be sloppy mush BUT the chips that turned soggy tasted exactly like a corn tortilla!! (Duh Kimi they are CORN tortilla chips!! sheesh) So I felt like I was eating an authentic enchilada minus the effort. Alfie and I both had seconds...ok thirds! I love that it is soooo easy, that it was done in the microwave, that I can do the work ahead of time AND that you can really tailor this to be what you like. I am looking forward to adding this to the menu again!

Ps. I just had leftovers for lunch and it was STILL amazingly good! Give it a try and let me know what you think!!

Lets go Hunting....Goodwill Hunting

IM BACK!! The blogging vacation is over, and I lived through a birthday, a bachelorette and a wedding. Phew! Let the relaxation begin. Anyways, here is my latest confession....

Confession: I am obsessed with thrift stores.

I kid you not. And not just for home items to revamp. I mean for clothes... for me! When I was unemployed a few years ago, shopping for clothes was pretty much out of the picture. Until I figured out my little shopping secret: Thrift stores. Ya huh! Goodwill, Savers, Plato’s Closet, Garage Sales. No place is off limits. Since then I hadn't dabbled in my thrift store shopping too much, until recently (ok since having Colton and realizing nothing fits like it used to) and now I am mildly addicted.

There is something to be said about getting such steals on clothes. Maybe it’s the cheapy inside me or the thrill of the hunt, but I LOVE searching through the racks to find previously owned gems at a fraction of what it would normally cost. I love it!! And the best part is that people never (until now) know that I love to shop there. Think what you will of me, but I have no problem wearing something owned by someone else (especially when it costs $3.99 and looks brand new or even has the tags on it). Just last week I had been on the hunt for some skinny belts to wear over some cardigans. I checked the mall and was VERY bummed to see places wanted 9.99+ for a tiny little belt. Try again! I knew I could do better than that price. Enter Savers (ahhhhh the heavens open and shined upon me bargains galore) Not only did I grab a black skinny belt for a mere buck ninety nine BUT I also snagged a royal blue cardigan (to wear with that lovely purchased belt for $3.99) AND a skinny braided brown belt(1.99). WHAT WHAT?? I love deals like that!

Then last night stumbled into my old friend Goodwill (it had been a while with the new Savers hogging my attention right around the block). Giving myself a $10 challenge I scoured the racks for a good hour and ended up with 3 lovely nuggets: a camel/brown striped scoop neck sweater (Old Navy), a grey and green striped boyfriend cardigan (Mossimo) and a navy/white (Jcrew) striped top (I love me some stripes, especially under jackets!) and the grand total was.....$10.37 HOLLA. I think I made out great!! And since I am VERY selective when I thrift for myself (especially the tops) to made sure they were in good/new condition (FYI -jeans, dress pants, blazers, jackets also make great thrift store buys) I was quite impressed with my purchases!!

One of the things I have found in my close thrifting adventures, is that searching for classic pieces by well made companies are key. I am still kicking myself over this amazing white blazer from Nine West and was under $10 and looked BRAND NEW, but it was a tad bit snug. Knowing I planned to lose more weight I should have bought it cause it would have fit perfectly now. Drat, oh well, lesson learned. I find it also helps to have brands memorized, so I know when I see Mossimo it’s from Target, Faded Glory from Wal-Mart, Apt. 9 from Kohl’s, and so on and it helps to decipher how good of a deal I am actually getting. $7 from a Mossimo item, not a great deal, since I could probably get it brand new for the same price at the store. But $2.99 now that is something I just might snag. As a personal rule, anything under 5.99 is typically a clothing bargain for me, since the majority of retail stores rarely have much below that. The only "problem" I run into is that it makes regular shopping tricky. I have a hard time spending at normal stores cause I know, "well I am sure I can find something similar in my closet Savers or Goodwill for WAY less" although I guess that’s not really a "problem" to have, now is it?? Lol

Oh and did you know they run deals? That’s right, last night at Goodwill was 50%off anything with a purple ticket (mine were all blue... bummer) Savers does a Monday night 25% off AND has a Savers card similar to a shoppers club card like at Wegmans.


Anyone else out there enjoy the thrill of the thrifting hunt? I tell you, once you start, and realize the clothing/home/baby gems to be found, you will be kicking yourself for not trying this sooner :)